31/03/1974 London
Information This show at the Rainbow Theatre was Queen's first ever "big" headlining show. The show was properly recorded and was proposed to the be the band's first live album but was shelved due to the band wanting to record their third album. Freddie is seen in an elegant new white outfit at the beginning of the show, created by designer Zandra Rhodes. Rhodes explained in 2013, "I hadn't designed any menswear before then, but I realised he'd need a flamboyant look." She would design outfits for the rest of the band for their next UK tour in the fall. The review below is by Rosemary Horide, a major force behind Queen's early popularity. She had reviewed their gig at Imperial College the previous November. The review notes that Freddie quickly changed from his white outfit to a black one during Brian's solo during near the end of "Great King Rat". On the next couple tours he would change during Son And Daughter, as it was a much longer frame of time. His white and black looks complement the running themes of the Queen II album, both visual and conceptual. Also mentioned in the review is Freddie throwing flowers into the audience during the encore. By 1975 he would be throwing red roses whose thorns had been plucked out one by one by a crew member. Roger Taylor's energetic "Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll" is played at this show. While the studio version had Roger doing the lead vocal, Freddie would sing it in concert. The vocal line had to be rearranged, as his vocal range is not nearly as high as Roger's. The song would be often performed at most shows the next couple years. In the early 70s, metal and glam were two completely separate entities, but Queen united them with songs like "Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll" and "Stone Cold Crazy". The band would come to be a major influence on stadium rock as well as on metal's progression through the 80s. Brian breaks a string around the breakdown of "Liar" (when Freddie sings "Listen!"). He unplugs and switches to his Fender Strat, for the rest of show including the encores. For years it has been said that the power went out during "Liar" at this show, but this actually occurred at one of the Rainbow Theatre shows in November. After the show, a teenaged Simon Townshend, younger brother of The Who's Pete Townshend, told Freddie Mercury backstage that Queen were "much better than my brother's band." Freddie was thrilled with the compliment, even coming from a 13 year old. Interestingly enough, in a 2005 Uncut interview, Brian May declared his belief that The Who were the better of the two bands. Four tracks from the show were broadcast on US radio in the first week of September 1975, along with an interview with the band. Many years later, Brian May reflected on playing the Rainbow: "We had a dim, distant vision of what Madison Square Garden might be like in America, but really no idea of what it was." He added, "After that, everything was a bonus. Everything was something which I had never even dreamed about." Ten minutes of professional video footage from this show exist - the earliest known footage of Queen in concert. It was included in the 2014 "Live At The Rainbow" release, also containing audio and video of the November 1974 shows at the same venue. The virtually complete audio of this March show was included as well (only "Big Spender" and "Bama Lama Bama Loo" were omitted). There were various incarnations of the release with different combinations of CDs, DVD, blu-ray and LPs. One of the LP versions contained only eight songs from the March show, mimicking what was originally intended to be Queen's first album (the eight tracks that ended up being first released as Sheetkeeckers bootleg in 1975). Many of the vocal overdubs heard on the bootleg remain, but largely the March material has had the overdubs minimized. A few further fixes were done on vocals and guitar parts, but it is overwhelmingly an exact representation of what was heard live on this date. This recording showcases Queen at their heaviest and rawest, and is truly essential listening for any fan of rock music. Unbeknownst to most until this release was announced, "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" off Queen II was performed at this show. It was played a few times this month, and brief impromptu version of the song was also apparently performed at a California show in 1975 after an audience member shouted for it. Reviews *'Rosemary Horide:' "What a night! It was a finale of the big Queen tour throughout the whole country. It was the conclusive evening for their reputation. Their lift was meteorical. So many people had challenged if Queen had the authority to play in such a prestigious place as the Rainbow. Freddie appeared in his new specially eccentric white "eagle's" costume, bouncing and miming with even bigger ecstasy than ever and sang even better than any time before. One couldn't believe it's the first time of Queen appearing themselves in such an important place. After a while they got used to taking advantage of the big stage. After two encores they left the stage during a big applause of the audience." Setlist ::#"Procession" ::#"Father To Son" ::#"Ogre Battle" ::#"Son And Daughter" ::#"White Queen (As It Began)" ::#"Great King Rat" ::#"The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" ::#"Keep Yourself Alive" ::#"Seven Seas Of Rhye" ::#"Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll" ::#"Jailhouse Rock" ::#"Stupid Cupid" ::#"Be Bop A Lula" ::#"Jailhouse Rock (Reprise)" ::#"Liar" Encore: ::#"Big Spender" ::#"Bama Lama Bama Loo" Encore: ::#"See What A Fool I've Been"